Beware overcaring for it can promote Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) in a disabled child and they can self injure, self endanger, self deprive to compulsively monopolise the carer out of an pathologically exaggerated belief in their their own incapacity and vulnerability.  DPD co-occurs in children who have had Separation Anxiety Disorder and Avoidant Personality Disorder.  However, the compulsion of those with DPD to control the carer through progressive helplessness/loss of skills is, by far the most disabling of the three commonly co-occurring conditions.  There are solutions to turning around co-occurring Dependent Personality Disorder in children deemed ‘Severely Autistic’ and where it is turned around the child will still be autistic but generally not nearly as ‘Severely Autistic’ as their Dependent Personality Disorder was presenting them to be.  

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When we think about autism related developmental, behavioural and learning challenges we usually think about sensory perceptual disorders, sensory integration issues or hypersensitivities, about gut, immune or metabolic disorders, dyspraxia, speech and communication disorders or mood, anxiety or compulsive disorders. But personality and identity may figure equally as much for particular people in determining their reaction to their autism.
We all have around 4-6 of Oldham’s 16 recognised personality traits – Ptypes. 

Each of these come with their own unique motivation and distress patterns meaning that different personalities will respond very differently in how they adapt to an ongoing sources of challenge, frustration, isolation or trauma.
Certain conditions can hone or inhibit particular personality traits, pushing these into the range for Personality Disorders. Read the rest of this entry »

What ways are you autistic?
My autism effected my functioning on these 14 levels: Read the rest of this entry »

I heard from Nupur. She was from Boston USA and had recently I have started online community for children with special needs called ‘Special Children’s Art Work’. Her passion is to give special needs children and their families some place where they can come and submit their creativity. She thought I would be an inspiration for them and asked me for an interview. Here it is: Read the rest of this entry »

Outsiders… there’s those who ‘adhere’… the ‘in crowd’… there’s those who have always been on the peripheries, a satellite, never quite content with what it takes to be ‘the in crowd’,… too solitary, too vigilant, too sensing, too aware, too individual, too real, too deep, too caring, too daggy, too blunt, too raw, too far off the bell curve. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m about to start my second online autism series.
These are affordable interactive skype presentations which are open to people throughout Australia and beyond. All the strategies I talk about and demonstrate are low cost and no cost strategies. Read the rest of this entry »

“Love ya”… It’s a throw away line that anyone can perform. Anyone can say it but living it, that is different. If you use ‘I love you’ as a public advertisement, a facade, a flag wave, a smoke screen, a cop out, a throw away line, a crutch, a habit, a guilt trip, a filler, then saying it is not ‘better than nothing. In fact, even the silence may be more honest, more honoring, more respectful. Read the rest of this entry »

BEING THE CHILD OF A PARENT WITH RAD

This is a picture of me in mid 1963 BEFORE I WAS BORN… I’m the lump, probably around 6-7 months cooked. My mother would have been 19 in this pic. I suspect my father’s brother, my uncle, took the pic as he had the slide and I’d never seen it until this week. Finally, a baby picture of me with my mother. Read the rest of this entry »

Got a child, teen or adult on the autism spectrum who has had a birthday party where you bought everything, sent out invites, even waited hopefully for people to arrive, but nobody showed up? Here’s some alternatives: Read the rest of this entry »

I was diagnosed with Autism in 1965 (aged 2). I grew up with autonomic issues, none of them formally diagnosed until they were pushed over the line following two general anaesthetics and chemo in 2011-2012. Read the rest of this entry »